Currycomb



W. W. IDLE.

CURRYCOMB.

APPLICATION FILED APR.19.1919.

*1 324,899 v Patented Deo. 16, 1919.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER w. IDLE, or sT. raars, oHio.

' cURaY Application filed `April 19,

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l/VALTER W. IDLE, a

citizen of the United LStates, residing at St. Paris, in the county of Champaign and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Currycombs, of which the following is a specication, refer-V ence being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to curry combs, and particularly to curryr combs provided with means whereby the teeth may be cleaned or cleared of hair, dirt, or other matter which will ordinarily accumulate upon the teeth.

The general object of my invention is to provide a very simply constructed, cheaply Y made, and easily operated curryA comb Vof this description, having eoactingV with the teeth a cleaning plate through which the teeth pass, the cleaning plate being longitudinally shiftable with relation to thev teeth, and to provide a spring normally urging the plate in one direction relative to the teeth, and a lever so connected to the cleaning plate that the plate may be shifted in a direction opposite to that in which the spring exerts its pressure.

A further object is to provide a curry comb of the character described wherein the spring may be shifted into two positions, in one of which it will urge the cleaning plate away from the points of the teeth to allow the teeth to project a maximum distance beyond the cleaning plate and which, when it is disposed in another position, will urge the cleaning plate toward the points of the y teeth.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description. Y

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that my improved curry comb consists of a back plate l0 having attached thereto a plurality of rows of teeth, these rows of teeth being formed by U-shaped blanks 11 YSpecification of Letters Patent. lPatented 16, 1919.

1919. Serial N0. 291,318.

ties with lugs 17 which are upwardly turned and engage in notches 18 formed in the ends of the back plate.

The back plate carries upon it upwardly extending ears 19, and pivotedbetweenthese ears is the rearwardly extending'operating lever 20 which `is twisted in its lengthand formed to provide a thumb piece at its free end toward its handle. The central portion of this lever is formed to provide a downwardly projecting lug 2l. This lugV has 'a diagonally extending perforationV 22'.

' Above lthis perforation 22 the lever is formed with a diagonally extending perforation 23, these perforations 22 and 23 extending rel versely to each other.` The lug is formed with a notch 24 at its forward edge.

Extending diagonally across the back plate is a bowed rod 25, the extremities of which are formed to loosely engage in perforations in the diagonally opposite ears 17, and extending through fthe perforation 23 is the bowed rod 26 havingv hook-shaped ends engaging the diagonally opposite ears 17. Thus, these rods cross each other at the point where they pass through the operating lever.

Under ordinary circumstances, an upwardly bowed spring 27 is disposed with its middlebearing against the under face ofthe lever adjacent theV notch 24 and with its ends bent to engage in notches 28 formed in the back plate. lt will be obvious that under these circumstances, the upwardly bowed spring urges the lever outward from the back plate and thus acts to draw the cleaning plate inward or away from the point'sof the teeth 12 but` that the thumb of the operator may be usedto press the lever 20 downward and thus project the cleaning plate toward the ends of the teeth and scrape off any hair, dirt, or other matter which may cleansing of the teeth.V

lllhere this curry comb is being used on horses having tender skin and it is desired that the teeth shall project normally but a very slight distance, the spring 27 may be transposed trom the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. l wherein the bowed spring is disposed between the cleaning plate and the back plate and, theretore, urges the cleaning plate toward the oi' the teeth. By shitting the lever ard away trom the bach plate, this cleaning plate may be drawn inward ir de sired.

In this arrangement, the cleaning plate will keep the teeth from scratching the skin, while at the same time it is' suliiciently yieldable so that the curry comb will do its proper work.

"While I have illusUrated a construction which I have iound to b e thoroughly electi fe and convenient, yet I do not wish to be limited to this, as it is obvious that-many changes might be made in the details of the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention as embodied in the appended claims. Y

l. A curry comb ot the character described comprising a back plate, a handle attached thereto, rows of teeth all projecting from the bach plate, a flat cleaning plate having pertorations to receive said rows of teeth and slidable thereon and having ears at its ends extending upward beyond the back plate, the ends of the back plate being notched to receive said'ears, a lever pivoted.

at its forward end upon the forward end of the back plate and having its free end extending toward the handle, and crossed, upwardly bowed rods engaged at their ends with said ears, the lever having pertorations at its middle through which said rods pass at their intersection.

2. A curry comb of the character described comprising a back plate, a handle attached thereto, rows ot teeth projecting from the back plate, a cleaning plate having perfor tions to receive said teeth and slidable thereon and having ears at its ends, the ears being disposed at the corners et the cleaning plate, a lever pivoted to the back plate and having its free end extended toward the handle, crossed, outwardly bowed rods having engagement at their ends with said ears, a lever having pertorations through which said rods loosely pass, a bowed spring disposed against the back plate having its ends disposed 1n notches in the extremities of the f back plate, the middle portion of the bowed springengaging with the lever to urge it outward, said spring being shiftable from its position between the lever and the back plate to a position between the bach plate and the cleaning plate.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aHix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

W'AL'IER W. IDLE. Witnesses FRED BLACK, W. F. LEE. 

